Shoetree



1, 1939- M. s. KISSEL v 2,l68, )34

SHOETREE Filed April 1, 1939 Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOETREE.

Michael s. Kissel, Pittsburgh, Pa, Application April 1, 1939, Serial No. 265,422 2 Claims. (01. 12-1291) I My invention relates to shoe-trees, particularly to shoe-trees of the sort that are applied externally upon the soles of the shoes that are to be straightened and held in shape, and consists in certain new and useful improvements in the structure of such devices.

A device embodying the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. I is a view of the device in side elevation, in position of service upon the sole of a shoe; Fig. II is a view of the bottom of the shoe, showing the applied device in plan; and Fig. III is a View to larger scale, showing the device in perspective,

in position to be applied to a shoe.

151 The device consists in a substantially flat body which, upon being secured to the bottom of a shoe, straightens and supports the sole of the shoe in such manner that the body of the shoe, distorted in service, is restored to and held in desired shape or form. The device includes means that marginally engage the sole at the toe, together with means that engage the sole at points adjacent to the heel of the shoe, the means lastmentioned consisting essentially in a clamp.

Hitherto, it has been found practical and desirable to form the body of such devices principally of steel wire, and in exemplary way I form my device of such material.

Referring to the drawing the shoe-straightening device consists in a body formed of two limbs I and 2 fashioned of steel wire and integrated in spaced-apart relation, as shown, by means of a rectangular disk or Web 3 of sheet metal. Integration of the parts may be efiected by welding or soldering, but in this case I show the side edges 3a of the web wrapped and securely crimped upon the wire bodies of the limbs. The body of the web may be corrugated or embossed to provide greater strength and rigidity, and to such end I form ribs 31) in the body of the web.

Extending forward from the web 3 (extending to the left of the web in Fig. III), the two limbs I and 2 carry, or are formed into, means for securing the device to the sole S at the toe, and said two limbs, extending to the rear of the web 3, form the two arms of a clamp that is adapted to engage the opposite edges of the sole at the instep of the shoe. In this case, I form the two limbs I and 2 of a single reach of wire that is bent medially of its length into the form of a U; the wire is shaped at the bend into a catch portion 4 that, vertically offset (by portions 5) from the plane of the U, is adapted marginally to engage the sole S, as shown in Fig. I. The catch 4 of the web in the drawing) are flexible, and by 5 V virtue of such flexibility such portions. of the limbs may be moved relatively to one another, as the arms of a clamp ora pair of tongs may be moved. The distal ends of the limbs or legs are ofiset from the plane of extent of the limb-s, and 10 are bent inward, providing tips 6 which, equipped with small knobs I, are adapted to be closed and secured upon the opposite edges of the sole S. More specifically, the bodies of the limbs I and 2 are so shaped adjacent to their distalends that 15 they extend upward (in portions 8) from said plane, then outward (in portions 9), and upward again (in portions III) to the sole-engaging tips 6. Thus, the tips 6 are offset from the plane of the legs I and 2 by an interval equal to 20 the sum of the lengths of the two portions 8 and II]. By virtue of the particular form and organization of the component parts, the sole S of the shoe, upon application of the device, is drawn to and secured in proper position, and the 26 body of the shoe is prevented from warping and becoming distorted.

I shall now turn to a consideration of the means in which the invention is centeredthe means for securing the ends 6 of the limbs I and 2 in closed 30 position upon the edges of the sole. Such means consist, advantageously, in a pivoted or hinged member which is adapted to be moved angularly of the plane of the limbs I and 2 between limblocking and limb-releasing positions. More particularly, such means consist in a U-shaped member I2 that is hinged at the two ends of the U to the body I, 2 of the device. Referring particularly to Fig. 111, it will be perceived that, immediately inward from the sole-engaging ends of 40 the two limbs I, 2, the limbs severally include portions I3 and I4 that lie in common plane with the main portions of the limbs, that is to say, the portions that are engaged and integrated by means of the web 3. The portions I3 extend an- 45 gularly to one another in such plane, and the providing two angular portions I5 that are adapted laterally to engage the inclined portions I3 and thereby secure the legs or arms I, 2 in clamped or closed position or service upon the shoe.

Extending between the portions I5, the basal portion I6 of the U provides a handle that is accessible for ready manipulation of the member I2. When the shoe-tree is applied, the portion I6 lies at an interval below the sole of the shoe and below the convergent leg portions I3, so that it may be readily grasped between the fingers, and the member I2 swung downward and outward into release position.

One thing more is to be particularly noted. The parts are so formed and proportioned that, when the shoe-tree is being closed upon a shoe, the parallel legs or sides of the locking member I2 bear upon the inclined portions I3, I3 of the limbs I and 2, with the consequence and efiect that, as the U-shaped member I2 moves angularly, under applied pressure: into locking. position, the two legs of the U operate with progressive wedging effect upon the portions I3, I3, forcing such portions towards one another and swinging the limbs I and 21 inward, and thus shifting the tips 6 into ultimate clamping position upon the sole of the shoe. When the legs of the locking member I2 reach a position of parallelism with the limbs I, 2 (Fig. I), the portions I3, I3 (with the tips 6, 6 tightly engaged on the edges of sole S) are positioned and secured between the portions I5, I5 of the member I2. The shoe-tree is looked in position of service.

It will be noted that the pintle portions I4, I I of the limbs I, 2 are of substantial length transversely of the structure, and that the body portions of the limbs at the ends of such pintle portions serve to limit the range of the tonglike movement of the limbs. When the limbs I, 2 are moved, the pintle portions shift axially within the hinge-eyes I! of the locking member I2.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described consisting in a body provided with a catch adapted marginally to engage the sole of a shoe at the toe and including a clamp adapted to engage such sole adjacent to the heel of the shoe and thereby secure said body in shoe-straightening engagement with such sole, which clamp includes two clamping arms and means for securing the arms in said engagement with the shoe; the refinement herein described in which said means comprise a member including two spaced-apart portions adapted laterally to engage and secure said arms in clamp-closing position, said member being mounted to swing angularly to the plane of the sole, upon which the device is applied, between clamp-olosing and clamp-releasing positions.

2. In a shoe-tree including a body provided with two limbs or arms movable as the arms of a pair of tongs and shaped at their distal ends to engage a shoe, and a device for locking said arms in shoe-engaging position; the refinement herein described in which said tong-like arms include pintle portions and inclined portions, and in which said locking device comprises a U-shaped member pivoted at the ends of the legs of the U to said pintle portions and movable angularly into such position that the legs of the U engage said inclined portions of the tong-like arms with wedging effect, to press said arms into' secure position between said legs of the U.

MICHAEL S. KISSEL. 

